More to me- Pregame Saioma

63. Confrontations

"What I'm trying to ask is...have you two ever been...sexually abused?" 

I winced at the words."Sexually abused." Of course he'd try and keep it professional, but the word choice seemed too formal, too careful. I hadn't been sexually abused. I had been hurt. I had been raped. I had been used over and over.  

I looked away from him. "...Yes." 

His head hung low as he processed the words. "...I was afraid of that. So the reason you both stayed so long with us is because...?" 

"It's...related to that, you could say." I muttered. "I...don't w-want to talk about it." 

"That's okay. You're doing great." 

I was silent for a few moments. Saihara-oji stood up and walked over to us. He placed his hand on my head and ruffled my hair. He had a soft, kind smile on his face. 

I looked up at him with confusion. He suspects me. That's obvious. So why...why is he being so kind to me? Why is everyone in this place so...nice? No one's ever treated me so...kindly.  

"...Oma-kun...if there's anything I can do for you, you just let me know. I can bring her to justice." 

I shook my head, summoning a face full of concern. "T-Thank you for the offer, but I...right now, I just want to know if she's...well, alive." 

"I'll find her. You two will be okay." 

"Thank you..." I nodded as he left. 

After a moment, Kotoko looked up at me. "...Kokichi?" 

"Yeah?" 

"...Why...did you lie?" 

My eyes widened. "...Huh?" 

"I...I don't know, I..." She sniffled. "I know you better than anyone, and I...I got the feeling that you were lying when he was talking about...her. I got the feeling that you weren't telling the full story." 

I looked away from her, my lips pursed. 

"...Did...something happen to her? Did you...know?" 

I didn't say anything. 

"I...I won't be mad. You know I hated her more than anything in the world. I just...want you to be honest with me." 

The words got caught in my throat once again, and I found myself tearing up. "...I..I-I..." 

She stared at me. "...I knew you were acting strangely that morning." 

I remembered the day after it happened and how awful I felt. I sniffled before I muttered an, "I'm sorry..." 

"I'm not mad...I just wished that you would've told me." 

"It all just...h-happened so fast. I felt so horrible about it." 

"You felt horrible for taking out the human trash?" Kotoko gave me a raised eyebrow. 

I barely stopped a chuckle from leaving my mouth. "I-I'm serious!" 

"I am too! She was an awful human being!" 

"Well, she didn't...she d-didn't deserve what happened-" 

"Bullshit. You could tell me you drained every ounce of blood from her alcohol-filled veins and I'd still say she deserved more." 

I paused for a moment before chuckling. 

"Wait...that's not what...happened, is it-" 

"No...no, I wouldn't be so cruel. B-Besides, where would I get the equipment for that?" 

"Dunno. Somewhere in this vampiric murder mansion." 

I raised an eyebrow. "Vampiric? It doesn't even have a gothic style. More of a modern georgian, if anything." 

She gave me a dead stare. "I was talking about how the minimalist interior sucks the personality  out of the entire house. What in the american hell are you talking about?"  

I burst out laughing, to her frustration. 

"I'm serious! I've been in japan all my life, and I've never heard of a georgian anything! I thought georgians were those southern American people." 

"W-Well, you're halfway right." I muttered. "When I first came here, I spent some time looking at the architecture of this place. It seems so out of place a-against the city, but I've never seen anything like it outside of the city either." 

She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah...so?" 

I let out another chuckle. "I learned that Saihara's family lives in England, and that's where the georgian style c-comes from."  

"Why do you even know all this?" 

"Late night rabbit holes, okay?" 

Kotoko stared at me for a moment before shrugging. "Valid. My search history could put me on a list. I still don't know how to find the weight of metatarsal bones in the foot..." 

"A lot you could d-do with that information." 

"Just about as much as you could do with styles of architecture and where they come from!" 

I shoved my elbow into her, and she did the same. We giggled at each other like we were seven and ten years old and I had just shown her the funniest thing from our favorite show. I laid back down on the bed, and she joined me once again. 

"...Hey...we're always going to be together, even after you go do that show and get all famous, right?" 

I smiled. "You're asking dumb questions again. Of course we will." 

"Promise?" 

"I promise." 

Words: 802